We build custom tech hubs in Portugal via Build-Operate-Transfer and nearshoring

A Portuguese-German team partnering with companies that are determined to lead their digital transformation.

Who we are

Digitization leaders manage to unlock the full potential of game-changing technologies for their business. The shift from a traditional operating model to digital forerunner requires a fundamental transformation, not just pressing the reset button.

Smart technologies and software engineering capabilities play a key part in the journey — still, the people in your organization, their attitude, mindset, and spirit, are the key ingredients to build the market leaders of tomorrow.

At xelerate.tech we exclusively partner with companies who are determined to make their transformation towards digitized business success and therefore understand that building best-in-class software and technology competencies in-house is the new imperative.

xelerate.tech guides clients successfully through this full-scale transformation, growing their innovation power and making sure they are in the front of the pack — rather than just followers. We are fully committed to making this a win-win success for your business and the people behind it.

Our history

xelerate.tech is a Portuguese-German start-up founded in 2020. The company has been growing fast since then, building strategic partnerships with tech-driven companies across several industries.

In 2021, xelerate.tech started operating in Portugal and our team has been growing constantly. We had the chance to create and develop an ambitious project with one of the top-3 logistics companies in the world as our client.

We started a new tech hub in Porto, growing from 0 to more than 60 highly qualified software engineers in less than five months. We hired top-notch engineers, established an engineering culture with 100% agile as core value, and introduced a new organization, new roles, and new processes.

In January 2022, xelerate.tech opened its first office in Porto, Portugal.

Our values

Our core values are respect, honesty, and trust, which lead to self-managed teams where everybody is a mentor and that brings out the best in everyone.

We believe that freedom is an important ingredient to explore new paths — organization, working model, and mindset — so everyone can professionally grow in a constructive way.

We meet as whole humans bringing out the best in everyone and evolving as a team. Bring your whole self to work and shape the way innovative software development of the future looks.

Good is not enough: we deliver high-quality products without forgetting the humans behind the machines. At the end of the day, we want clients satisfied with our product and people who feel happy and professionally fulfilled.

Our team

Meet the people building and growing xelerate.tech, from leadership to the teams supporting our people every day.

Klaus Straub

CEO & Co-Founder

As CIO of BMW Group, Klaus Straub led large-scale digital and organizational transformations and built high-performing in-house technology organizations. His career spans more than 30 years of technology and IT leadership at major international companies, including BMW, Audi and SiemensVDO. Today he puts that executive experience behind an entrepreneurial idea: helping companies build, operate and ultimately take ownership of their own high-performing technology hubs in Portugal.

Martin Zierheim

CEO & Co-Founder

Martin Zierheim knows first-hand what it takes to build a software engineering organization in Portugal at scale. In leadership roles at BMW Group and as COO of Critical TechWorks, he helped build and grow a large one. That background in technology leadership and digital transformation is the foundation of xelerate.tech, which Martin co-founded to help international companies build, operate and eventually transfer high-performing technology hubs of their own.

Gero Kruger

CEO & Co-Founder

Gero Krueger has spent his career on the commercial side of business, working across sales, finance, business development and management consulting with companies and leadership teams in many industries and international markets. Along the way he has paired commercial instinct with a clear view of how strategy turns into organizational growth. At xelerate.tech he leads sales, finance and strategic partnerships, shaping how the company grows and building lasting relationships with international clients.

Pedro Rocha

CTO

Complex integrations and distributed systems are where Pedro Rocha made his name, working as a software architect on large-scale projects. Designing systems that scale taught him a great deal about designing organizations that scale, too. As one of the General Managers leading our joint ventures, Pedro works closely with international partners to build and grow high-performing technology organizations in Portugal.

Luisa Figueiras

Engineering Manager

Luísa Figueiras knows engineering teams from the inside. As a software engineer, team lead and Engineering Manager, she has built and grown them herself. Now she guides xelerate.tech’s teams through that same journey, setting the technical direction, engineering processes and ways of working that turn talented individuals into high-performing, sustainable engineering organizations.

Tiago Gomes

Engineering Manager

Tiago Gomes works where technology meets business. As a software engineer, consultant and team lead across different technologies and business environments, he has always combined hands-on technical work with solutions that meet real business needs. At xelerate.tech he specializes in SAP development and functional consulting, and builds and manages the teams in this area, drawing on both his technical depth and his understanding of business processes and team development.

Carsten Stoll

Engineering Manager

Over many years at Bosch, Carsten Stoll held a range of management and project leadership roles. He led multicultural teams and large-scale technology projects, among them advanced instrumentation systems for leading automotive brands and projects for customers such as BMW and Bentley. At xelerate.tech he applies that engineering and project management experience to Cyber Security, IoT and Embedded Systems, with a focus on building and leading high-performing technology teams.

Marlene Zierheim

Finance Specialist

Marlene Z. has worked in finance, operations and organizational management, with extensive experience in the non-profit and humanitarian sector, where careful financial management, clear processes and close collaboration with many different organizations and stakeholders are essential. At xelerate.tech she is responsible for the financial and operational management of our client partnerships, making sure the processes, structures and day-to-day operations behind our joint ventures run smoothly.

Isabel Moreira

People Team

Finding the right technology talent and winning them over is Isabel Moreira’s specialty. Drawing on her experience in talent acquisition and HR operations, she sources and connects with candidates and builds the talent pipelines behind our growing teams. Alongside recruiting for our technology hubs, Isabel manages employment contracts, learning and development, and key HR processes throughout the employee journey.

Ana Reis

People Team Manager

For Ana Reis, a good employee experience is both positive and well structured. With a background in people management, employee development and organizational processes, she leads HR at xelerate.tech. She supports colleagues at every stage of their journey and puts in place the structures, policies and people practices that a growing organization needs.

Daniela Pinto

People Team Manager

Daniela Pinto works where recruitment meets brand. Her experience spans talent attraction, recruitment, employer branding and people operations, and she pairs a proactive approach to finding and engaging talent with a focus on building an employer experience that stands out. At xelerate.tech she leads talent attraction and recruitment, and also contributes to onboarding, offboarding, employer branding, marketing and public relations. All of this is key to growing the teams behind our expanding tech hubs.

Barbara Rodrigues

People Team

Why do talented people choose one company over another? Bárbara Rodrigues works on that question every day. With experience in talent attraction and employer branding, she connects people with opportunities and strengthens xelerate.tech’s presence as an employer, communicating who we are, what we offer and why people choose to join our growing technology community.

Diana Pereira

People Team

Payroll, benefits, statutory reporting and social security: Diana Pereira makes sure the essentials of HR operations are accurate and compliant. At xelerate.tech she manages key HR business processes across the employee lifecycle, from payroll processing and benefits administration to travel and expenses and statutory requirements. Her work keeps our people operations structured, efficient and compliant as the company grows.

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